One of the Rome markets mentioned in almost every travel guide about the city is the Via Sannio market. This probably has more to do with the location of this market, almost attached to the Basilica of Saint John in Lateran, than with the quality of the street market itself, though.
Via Sannio Market Rome
Useful information
The market is located at the beginning of the Via Sannio. It is opened from Monday to Saturday, from 08.00 till 16.30. On rainy days and in August (when most Romans leave town) many stalls will close early, however. The nearest metro stop is San Giovanni (lines A and C).
Description
The Via Sannio market is almost completely dedicated to clothes and accessories, with the main focus on leather goods and of course shoes. The most positive aspect of the market is that, contrary to most Italian markets, there is a a good selection of second hand clothes.
It is recommended to haggle a bit, especially when buying used clothes.
Garden
In 2021, a small public garden with a children’s playground was opened at the beginning of the Via Sannio. It contains parts of a majestic portico, constructed during the reign of Emperor Claudius. The ruins were discovered during excavations for the construction of metro line C.
Fascist buildings
If you walk past the market, a bit further up the Via Sannio, you will notice that there are several buildings with numerals on them, that would seem to indicate the year they were built, but are much lower than expected. This is because those numerals indicate the year of the fascist reign, whereby 1922, when Mussolini came to power, is considered the year 0.